Metro Arts reports record 381 FY26 grant applications; approves updated Thrive scoring rubric

Metro Arts staff reported on Aug. 28 that the FY26 grant cycle drew a record 381 combined applications — 275 for the Thrive project grants and 106 for general operating support — and the commission approved a minor change to the Thrive scoring rubric to make alignment with the program’s goals explicit.

Staff summary and application breakdown: Director Ashley Batchelder and grants staff said applications were open for four weeks and closed Aug. 15 at 11:59 p.m. Of the 381 total applications, staff said 223 arrived on the final day alone. Thrive applications, open to individual artists, collectives and organizations proposing project-based work, totaled 275; operating-support applications totaled 106. Staff reported that 55 Thrive applicants were first-time applicants, and the remaining applicants included returning grantees and prior applicants that had…